After attending the workshop about specialist medicine & case management this morning we can conclude saying that the right values for a patient centered attention in medical tourism are: universality + access + good quality + care + equity + solidarity. This combined with good marketing solutions such as a web marketing strategy, powerful partners, a strong Doctors network, media advertising and the power of worth of mouth are key factors to succeed within the medical travel sector.

The European Medical Travel Conference 2011 starts today in Barcelona. ETMC aims to connect people to global health solutions. Ideas, lectures, innovation, discussion, negotiation, partnerships: EMTC2011 is the platform that helps ideas come alive to help the innovation and growth of the medical tourism industry.

n this first part of a three-part series on incorporating family into the patient room, authors Hannah Jefferies and Jennifer Merchant of Perkins+Will discuss the core concepts of the model and introduce a project at Rush University Medical Center, where that model was used.

“One of the key things that one realizes in training is that we very often treat whole family units. When you are treating persons who have elements of frailty, their loved ones become all the more critical to their care and to plans that help move patients toward better health. Thus supporting families/loved ones to feel at place in the clinical environments helps develop better plans that have more chance of successful implementation with our patients,” according to Dr. Anthony J. Perry, MD, clinical transformation officer at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

It yielded some interesting findings overall, and offered a glimpse at how we as an industry may potentially be looked to to help address the overall quest to improve the patient experience.

The 790 respondents from 660 different organizations over all 50 states and the District of Columbia were asked 33 questions in an online survey. They represented both individual hospitals and health groups/systems from rural, urban, and suburban locales.

The new replacement hospital provides state-of-the-art care for children around the world
by Michael Rayburn.

No matter who you talk to in Memphis, Tennessee, chances are their life or a family member’s life has been touched by Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Founded in the 1950s, it was the result of the initiative of a group of women who advocated for children to have a special place to receive medical care. The children’s hospital’s mission is to accept any child in the community who needs treatment, regardless of their family’s financial status.

With a new $340-million replacement hospital planned, a broad fundraising effort was initiated in Memphis. To date, nearly $105 million has been raised, making the Le Bonheur campaign the largest in the city’s history. Contributions came from all constituencies, including young children who donated pennies through their schools to corporations, which in turn made large contributions to the campaign. Yet it is important to keep in mind that Le Bonheur’s reach goes well beyond the Mid-South region. Every year, more than 135,000 children from all 50 states and throughout the world are treated there.

Doing what’s right for the kids

The new Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital will take the organization well into the 21st century. The 12-story, 613,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility includes 255 hospital beds with dedicated units for pediatric intensive care and cardiovascular intensive care. It also has 60 neonatal intensive care private rooms, including several rooms for twins or triplets.